Republicans are asking justices to force Secretary of State Steve Simon, who has been presiding over floor sessions, to recognize their motions — including one that would deprive absent

The legal challenge, filed in the State Supreme Court, accuses Secretary of State Steve Simon of thwarting their attempts to penalize boycotting DFL members.

Republicans on Thursday filed a petition to the state's highest court arguing DFL Secretary of State Steve Simon has overstepped his authority in the days since the House hit the reset button late last week.

In a major victory for Minnesota House Democrats Friday, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that 68 House members must be present for a quorum, which means the lower chamber has had no official proceedings during a Democratic boycott.

Minnesota House Republicans sued Secretary of State Steve Simon on Thursday in an attempt to force Democratic members back into the chamber, the latest legal challenge in a weekslong political standoff between the two parties.

The justices, in a written ruling released Friday afternoon, agreed with House Democratic leaders and Secretary of State Steve Simon who argued that a quorum in the House was 68 members under the state constitution, not the 67 that Republicans claimed. The Supreme Court cited an article in the Minnesota Constitution as part of their reasoning.